roasted kuri squash carbonara
and easing back into life, kind of
i am currently sat on a delta flight, on my way to NYC for both work and pleasure—which does in fact remind me, i need to continue with my favorite NYC restaurant guide. i think we might be onto part 3 now, and i have a part 4 in waiting too. will this trip bring a part 5, we shall see.
more NYC recs coming soon, i promise. and i am working on LA too.
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it feels weird to be leaving LA, when everything is still so sad and chaotic there. but it also feels necessary for my mental and physical health. i have been on the ground helping with all sorts of relief efforts since day one. the day after the fires began, the need for help began. the palisades and altadena, two entire neighborhoods—burned to the ground, literally overnight. peoples lives left in ruins.
we (we being my incredible community of friends, volunteers, mutuals, colleagues, and literal strangers—who i now think of as family) have been helping with efforts to keep the fire firefighters fed, along with delivering meals daily to many families that the fire has displaced. up to 2000 meals a day, all coordinated by an incredible team of people that otherwise had no systems in place to do any of this a week ago.
put it this way: i am on a lot of group texts at this point. we all are.
as well as efforts with shopping for essential supplies and gift cards—which people who have literally lost everything but the clothes on their back have found useful.
it’s hard to put into words the gravity of what has actually happened in the wake of the fire devastation, and truly hard to know what this means for los angeles in general. there are a lot of unknowns, but one thing i do know is that i will be here to support with the ongoing relief efforts for as long and as much as i am needed—after all, this is a marathon not sprint.
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anyway, i am on my way to NYC and in true new york fashion—going straight out for dinner with a friend as soon as i land. i am craving cozy italian food and red wine this evening, which seems to have been the theme this week.
i made this kuri squash carbonara a few nights ago, and it hit the spot so perfectly.
roasting the squash in a high-heat oven gives it a little charred edge and burnished flavor. no, it doesn’t taste like guanciale—which is used in the traditional roman recipe. but this adds a subtle sweetness and equally stunning depth of flavor.
i hope you make this one!
roasted kuri squash carbonara rigatoni
1 lb of rigatoni
1 medium-sized butternut squash, peeled and cubed into 1 inch pieces
2 egg yolks
1 whole egg
1 cup of parmesan
1 cup of pecorino
5 cloves of garlic, finely grated
lots of freshly cracked black pepper
2 tbsp @kosterina extra virgin olive oil for roasting
flaky salt for serving.butternut squash carbonara
begin by cutting and de-seeding your kuri squash. next, cube the squash into 1 - 2 inch bite-sized pieces; no need to peel a squash like this. add the diced pieces to a sheet pan and oil liberally. add a few pinches of flaky salt and pop into a 375 degree oven for approximately 40 minutes, checking regularly for doneness. they should be soft and a little charred. set aside.
next, get a pot of very well-salted (approx 4 tbsp) water boiling for the pasta and cook according to the packet, minus 2 minutes, as the pasta will continue to cook in the sauce and residual heat.
now crack the 2 eggs, 1 egg yolk and 5 cloves of grated garlic into a medium sized bowl and whisk. add in the grated parmesan and grated pecorino, a good few cracks of black pepper and continue to stir until everything is well combined. it should be a thick paste consistency.
next ladle in some of the pasta cooking water into the egg and cheese mixture (approx 1 ladle) and whisk gently.
drain the pasta, making sure to reserve 1-2 cups of the pasta water as this will help make the sauce
turn the heat down to very low and add in the cooked butternut squash and drained pasta back into the pan that you cooked the pasta in. next pour in the cheese and egg mixture and stir everything to combine. make sure to keep the heat on low, and keep gently stirring. add in a little of the reserved pasta water bit by bit until the sauce is glossy, creamy and slightly thickened. keep stirring and you will see the sauce come together.
serve in your favorite bowl with more parmesan, a drizzle more olive oil & freshly cracked black pepper.
enjoy!
talk soon
xo